


From The Grand Line, With Love

by desertspells



Category: One Piece
Genre: Established Relationship, Gen, Mutual Pining, Other, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:08:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22526821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/desertspells/pseuds/desertspells
Summary: A spoonful of stories about celebrating Valentine's Day for the first time with your lover.Sanji-Red CarnationLaw-White JasmineCrocodile-Yellow AcaciaZoro-HydrangeaDoflamingo-Lavender RoseLuffy-Fern
Relationships: Crocodile (One Piece)/Reader, Donquixote Doflamingo/Reader, Monkey D. Luffy/Reader, Roronoa Zoro/Reader, Trafalgar D. Water Law/Reader, Vinsmoke Sanji/Reader
Comments: 16
Kudos: 258





	1. Red Carnation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red carnation: My heart aches, admiration

“Okay, the table is set up outside and the candles are ready to be lit. Right now I just have the brownies that I need to keep an eye on. What’s an easy recipe to make?” 

You flipped through your recently purchased cookbook as you paced around the kitchen. Zoro was leaning against the table while Chopper munched on an apple. The two pirates glanced at each other while you were muttering to yourself. You had a short window of time if you wanted to surprise Sanji with your Valentine's Day dinner. You had gotten Robin and Nami to go with him to grocery shop, and they had promised to try and delay the chef’s trip to give you time.

“Won’t Sanji be back before the food is done?” Chopper asked. “I’m pretty sure he’s going to make you a Valentine’s Day dinner.”

“That’s the thing; Sanji does so much for me, so I want to make something for him.” You set the book down to a recipe you thought was easy but classy. “I asked Nami and Robin to keep him away from the ship so I can make something. Also! I explicitly asked him not to buy me a gift while shopping. This is our first Valentine’s Day together so I want to be the one to make him something nice. It’ll be a pleasant surprise.”

“Heh, you just want to spoil him.” Zoro rolled his eyes. “Smile at him and thank him, he’ll die happy with that.”

“No!” You put your hands on your hips. “I want to spoil him because he always spoils me. He treats me with such kindness and respect. He’s like a prince.”

“The prince of perversion.”

“Please stop!”

Zoro chuckled at your grumpy expression. It was easy for you to get riled up when it came to somebody insulting your partner. The swordsman didn’t think you needed to go through so much trouble to make the chef happy. You confessing to the blond man had momentarily sent him to heaven; smiling at him would be enough. Still, if making something for the chef on the romantic holiday made you happy, it would be alright. 

“Hey, (Y/n), I have a question.” Your captain entered the kitchen and sniffed the air. “Ooh~ Brownies!”

“They’re exclusively for Sanji, don’t touch!” 

“Right, right, sorry. Shishi~ Ah, right. (Y/n),” Luffy pointed to the kitchen door. “Is that table outside important?”

“Um? Yes? It’s where I’m going to have dinner with Sanji.”

“Oh okay. Well, there’s some seagulls on the table.”

“...What?!” 

You rushed past the captain to slam the door open. The three pirates followed you outside to see a colony of seagulls on the single table in the middle of the deck. The birds were walking over your fancy setup, getting their dirty little webbed feet all over the napkins, plates, and silverware. One seabird kept picking up the forks and spoons to drop them off the side of the table. The sight made your blood boil like molten magma.

“Ahhh! Get off the table! I spent a long time making it look nice!!” You ran up to the table waving your hands. “Shoo! Shoooo!” 

“Ha-Ha-Ha!” The birds cawed at you. Seven in total and only six flew away. One of them picked up a steak knife with its beak. Their caw was muffled by the eating utensil. 

“Stop it! Shoo!” 

“Yoh-ho-ho-ho~ What a silly sight,” commented Brook as he came down from the crow’s nest. “(Y/n)-san, I hate to bear bad news, but I don’t know if your candle idea will work.”

“What? Why?”

“From the way the treetops have been swaying, it looks like it’s going to stay windy. The flames will be put out quickly.”

“Oh no…”

“Zoro, I think this bird wants to fight you,” Luffy said as he pointed at the bird who stayed at the table. Zoro pinched the bridge of his nose. “Should I get him to leave? Yeah, I’ll get him to leave. Shoo you bastard!” The bird flew up but then another flew back in its place. “Eh? Go, shoo.” The second bird left but then the first one with the knife returned. “Shoo dammit!” 

“Um (Y/n)?” Chopper’s timid voice came from near your legs. “(Y/n), I think your brownies are done, but they’re a little smokey.”

“W-What? No, no, please no no no!” 

You bolted back to the kitchen and slipped on a pair of kitchen mittens. The brownies were burned on the edges but uncooked in the middle. You look at the oven in horrible to see you had set the heat too high. You glared down at the brownies as if they were at fault for the disasters happening. 

“Oi, (Y/n), Brooke finally got the seagulls to leave because Luffy wasn’t doing a good jo--(Y/n)?” Zoro’s eyes widened when he saw the way your eyes started to mist over. “Oh no.”

“I just,” your words quivered with emotion. “I just...how did I mess up so badly? Why?” You closed your eyes tight, choking back a sob. Zoro sighed before he walked up to you and moved you to the table. “I messed up Sanji’s gift, I messed it up. I won’t even have time to make him a nice meal.”

“(Y/n), you could literally poison Sanji and he’d thank you. The man’s head over heels.” When the tray had cooled down enough, Zoro took it from your hands and set it on the table. “Make Sanji something simple and quick. Make, I don’t know, an omelette.”

“An omelette for dinner?”

“He’ll love it, trust me.”

“What about this though? My Valentine’s Day chocolate is ruined.”

“Erm, after cooking, just cut out the pieces that are cooked.” Zoro glanced at the dish thinking about how the chef would eat the undercooked parts if you asked him to. “Leave the outside to us. I don’t think we’ll get it as fancy as you were hoping, but it’ll be something, okay? So don’t cry. Focus on dinner and you’ll be fine.”

You sniffled. “Thank you, Zoro.”

“Tch, don’t worry.” The swordsman pat your back before he left the kitchen. “That’s what friends are for. Count on us to help you.” You heard Zoro call for Usopp and Franky when the kitchen door closed. You rubbed your eyes to rid yourself of the tears. You were going to do what you could to make your first Valentine’s Day with Sanji memorable. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Ha~ Finally done with shopping. We’re set for the next island.” Sanji was grinning ear to ear the closer the group of three got to the ship. Nami glanced at her watch, hoping the time she had gotten you was enough. Between trying to keep Sanji from buying you a gift and getting him to not rush back to the ship, she was tired. She looked over at Robin who smiled.

“You’re rather excited to return to the Sunny, Sanji,” said Robin, her walking pace slowing down just a hint.

“That’s true, that’s true.” Nami added following Robin’s lead. “Thank you for your patience while I window shopped too.”

“It’s alright, Nami-san. I didn’t mind since there were items that I thought would be perfect for (Y/n)-chan. Then again, anything would look good on (Y/n).” At your name, the chef’s eyes became hearts. “(Y/n)-swan~ I can’t wait to spend Valentine’s Day with you~ An angel who didn’t want me to buy them anything. So sweet!” 

“W-Wait! Sanji-kun!” Nami called out to the chef who made a beeline to the ship. The numerous groceries he was carrying did nothing to slow him down. “Dammit, that love-sick idiot is going to be too early to his romantic dinner.”

“Kufufu, it’s okay Nami. (Y/n) has the crew there to help her.”

“Do you really think they’ll make something romantic?”

Robin gave her friend a closed eyed smile. “...We can hope.”

When Sanji was close to the ship, he saw Luffy leaning over the railing. The captain stood up straight to declare, “Ooooi! Sanji’s here!” 

“H-Hold on! Wait, don’t get on the ship yet!” Usopp yelled from where Sanji couldn’t see him. “Ooooonnnee secooond...done! There, it’s set up. Light it up, Franky!”

“Suuuuuuper!!” 

“Is this set up as you like, (Y/n)-san?” Brook asked. At what must have been your nod of approval, the musician laughed. “Enjoy the evening~” 

“Alright, everybody off the ship. Ero-cook is back.” Sanji watched as Zoro rallied the Strawhats to the dock. “Everybody got what they need? We’re not coming back until later.” 

“Haaaai~!” Was the chorused response. Sanji waited for the crew to be off the ship before he got closer. When he tried to ask what the crew had been up to, Zoro held up his hand to quiet the chef.

“Don’t waste your time here,” he pointed behind himself to the ship. “(Y/n) is on the ship waiting for you. Go.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice, Marimo-head,” Sanji huffed while he made his way up the board connecting the ship to the dock. “I never intend to make (Y/n)-chan think I won’t be there for her.” The chef didn’t see the way the swordsman smirked at his declaration. 

“(Y/n)-saaan, I’m back~ I’m sorry I took a while. I got fresh ingredients to make you...some…?” Sanji set down the groceries so his hands were free. 

The sight before him left him speechless. There was a table with two sets of plates set up in the middle of the deck. There were two glasses of chocolate milk beside the plates. The food was covered and a three arm candelabra sat in the middle of the table. A few brownies were in a miniature wicker basket by the candle holder. Fairy string lights were hanging around the area, scattered but adorable. The closer Sanji walked to the table, the quicker the scent of the food hit his nose. Brownies (a little burnt), chocolate milk, and eggs.

“Welcome back, Sanji!”

Your voice pulled Sanji from his trance to look at you. He had to contain his gasp when he saw you were dressed up. From the way you were patting down your outfit and smoothing you hair, it let him know you had rushed to change before he made it to the ship. 

“So, um, I had things planned out better. But! I still want to make sure you enjoy the food.” You walked up to the table to uncover the plates. You had made omelettes, and you had cut them into the shape of hearts. “I know this isn’t dinner worthy, but I hope you’ll like them. Oh! So the chocolate milk is because I didn’t think there were enough brownies, so I wanted to make sure I got you enough chocolate because it’s Valentine’s Day, and chocolate is...important...Sanji?”

The chef had tears rolling down his cheeks. 

“Oh my god, I made such a bad dinner, you’re crying. Okay, Plan B! I go buy something better, I just need about five minutes--give or take if you’re okay with quick, fried food--”

“(Y/n)...”

“I-It’s okay! I can salvage this!” 

“(Y/n)...” Sanji brought a hand up to wipe his tears, but more fell down. “(Y/n), (Y/n), p-please don’t look at me r-right now.” Sanji covered his face as a sob built up inside him. “I-I don’t look very princely...right now.” A hiccup escaped him as he tried to stop his tears. You ran up to the chef, concern overwhelming the embarrassment you had felt before.

“Sanji?”

“I...haha, I,” you came face to face with Sanji’s tear streaked face when you moved his hands from his face. He stared at you before a teary smile graced his lips. “I love you.”

“Sanji…” 

“How was I so lucky that an angel, a goddess, someone like you would do so much for me?” He tried to contain the sob, but it erupted. “T-Thank you, (Y/n). I love you. I love you so much my heart can’t handle it.”

You pulled Sanji’s face down to kiss him squarely on the lips. When the shock of your action had subsided, Sanji leaned into the kiss. He was gentle and tentative. You pulled away only so you could kiss his lips over and over again. In between each kiss, you muttered one phrase over and over. 

“I love you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Extra: At a pub_

“You know, Zoro, I realized something,” Usopp took a sip of his drink while he watched Zoro go through the vegetarian options on the menu. When he found what he was looking for, he handed the menu to Chopper and pointed. The doctor read the recommended choice and nodded in approval. 

“What’s that?”

“You can be such a dad sometimes.” The other six crewmembers all nodded in agreement to Usopp’s words. 

“What? Tch, no I’m not.”

“With how you helped organize (Y/n)’s dinner date earlier, I’d say yeah, you’re a dad.”

“No I’m not.”

“You literally just looked through the menu for vegetarian options for Chopper.”

“S-Shut up!” 

_*Tap Tap*_

The crew blinked at the noise. It wasn’t until Luffy pointed at the window that they found the source. 

“Ah! That seagull is back,” Luffy exclaimed. The bird still had the knife in its mouth and it stared at them with purpose. “I think it still wants a swordmatch, Zoro.”

“...Goddammit.”


	2. White Jasmine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> White Jasmine: Sweet love, amiability

“Ah-choo!”

You sniffled and waited. When another sneeze didn’t happen, you sighed in relief. Your fever was decreasing, and Law was thankful for this. The doctor was currently brewing you tea in the sick room of the submarine, and you were folding/unfolding a piece of paper. It was the size of a Beri bill. Law raised an eyebrow at your growing frustration with your project. You crumbled it and layed back in bed. 

“Rest, (Y/n)-ya, you’re still fighting off a cold.”

“I’m feeling better. I’ll be okay by tomorrow.”

“You’re free to move around when I say you are. Right now, rest.”

You snuggled into your blanket, observing your partner’s back. You watched him as he made a remedy that was bound to strengthen your immune system. He was most likely adding honey to your medical tea. A little sweetness to combat the bitterness. He was in doctor-mode, so you had no chance to leave as you intended. You could only hope your crew was able to finish their task. You had done your part and were suffering the consequences now. 

“I can move around--”

“I don’t want to risk the crew catching what you caught.”

“I’ll wear a face mask--”

“It’s safer to be here where you can heal.”

“But--”

“(Y/n),” Law sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why are you trying to push yourself? I’m asking you to not move for a bit, and you keep trying to leave.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” You sighed, accepting defeat. It wasn’t your intention to upset him. “I’m just feeling restless.”

“I’m restless too, you know?” You heard the spoon clink against the cup as Law mixed the honey in. “I don’t...I don’t like seeing my partner sick. I have to be patient and wait for your body to naturally fight this off.” He cursed under his breath when some of the tea splashed onto the table because of how fast he was mixing it.

You found yourself blushing at Law’s sudden honesty. It was rare for him to admit when he was feeling helpless, even just a little bit. Your cold was not serious; it was something you could get rid of in three days, but Law was by your side the entire time. It caught you by surprise when you had the realization that Law was there for you not just as your doctor and captain, but as your _lover_ as well.

“Law, could I ask for a favor?” When he hummed as an answer, you continued. “Can I have another piece of paper? I have a stack in my jacket pocket.”

“Hm,” Law walked over to the coat hanger with the cup of tea in his hand. He dug into the pocket to pull out a stack of 6.5 x 16 cm red paper. The packet was newly opened. “Here. What is this for anyways?”

“It’s a secret project.”

“Okay. Here,” The tea you were sure smelled good-your clogged nose didn’t let you know-was handed to you. “Drink all of this.”

“Will do~” You blew on the tea and watched the swirling pattern of the steam rise into the air. “I’ll get better tomorrow. I will.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Law was not a dense man. He was aware of how his crew members were murmuring among themselves. He picked up parts of their conversation. There was concern about your well being, but also something about a “plan”. The doctor was tempted to find out what the hidden conversations were about, but he dropped the idea to investigate fast. He trusted his crew, and if they wanted to keep secrets, they could.

“Captain…”

Law looked over his shoulder to see his Polar Bear navigator, Bepo. The bear mink was twirling his fingers together and thinking of what to say next. Law knew the bear was trying to come up with a lie of some sort. He knew his crew like the back of his tattooed hands. They were honest to a fault and hated lying to him the most. 

“So...um. You see, if you could--erm.”

“You can tell me later. I’m going to see how (Y/n)-ya is doing.”

“Oh! Well, you see--”

The bear didn’t stop his captain in time.

Law opened the door to the infirmary to see it was empty. Empty as the first time the ship had been built. Law’s mouth dropped and his eye twitched. Twenty minutes. He was literally gone for twenty minutes and you were gone. He growled your name in annoyance, but he was interrupted in his anger when Bepo spoke up.

“A-Ah! I think I know where we can find (Y/n)!”

“Please,” Law said through gritted teeth. “Enlighten me.”

Bepo led his captain through the submarine. They passed empty hallways and unused stairways. The ship was quiet as could be. Bepo glanced at his captain, concerned he would notice the silence. Law was unaware of it all. He was only thinking about how he was going to give you an earful for having left the bed. One more day was all he had asked for. Just rest easy for one more day and then you could get up. Once some of his anger had subsided, Law noticed that Bepo was taking him to the upper deck. The submarine was above water?

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Captain Law!!!”

The doctor blinked confused at the sight before him. His entire crew was on deck, and some of them had set off party poppers at his arrival. There were pink and red streamers around the deck and adorable heart paper lanterns provided light. The tables on deck were covered with food and baked goods in the shapes of hearts, winged babies, and flowers. The sky was clear with the stars shining brilliantly against the royal blue sky.

“Good job, Bepo!” Penguin pat the polar bear’s back. “Captain looks absolutely surprised, he had no idea. What did you tell him so he didn’t notice we were all here?”

“Erm, well it wasn’t entirely me…”

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Law.” 

You were wearing a thick jacket and a face mask. Your mouth was covered, but Law could tell you were smiling by the way your eyes were sparkling. You gestured to Bepo and Penguin to leave so you could talk to the confused captain.

“I know you said to stay in bed, but I just needed to quickly do this.” 

“(Y/n)-ya…”

“I’ll go back to bed if you really want me to, but I’m feeling better.” You moved the face mask down to show Law how your complexion had improved and your nose wasn’t running. “I needed to be here though. It’s Valentine’s Day, and I wanted the crew to have fun today.”

“This party...is your doing?”

“Uh-huh, it was my idea so everybody could celebrate. I organized it.” You shrugged. “And then it kind of turned into them wanting it to be a ‘Valentine Party and celebrate Captain Law’ kind of thing. It was tricky trying to keep this a secret from you, but I guess with you taking care of me while I was sick helped distract you from the surprise.”

“(Y/n)-ya…” Law lifted his hand to his face to hide his smile. He was looking past you to see his crew eating the sweets, dancing, and having a general blast. Music filled the night sky. His eyes landed back on you to see you smiling triumphant. Pleased as a cat with a canary.

“There’s one more thing.” You looked down, a sudden shyness gripping your heart. “This party is for the crew, but I do want to give you something specifically for Valentine’s Day. It’s not much, but I’m happy I was able to make it even though I was sick.”

You reach into your pocket and fish for your gift. You hold your hand out to Law, who then takes the offered prize. When he opened his hand, he saw it was an origami heart with a note written on it. 

_I give my heart to you._  
_I love you._  
_(Y/n)_

“I-I know it’s not much, and it doesn’t say a lot. Trust me, I wanted to write you an essay--”

“(Y/n)-ya.”

“But with being sick, well it’s no excuse, it’s just a piece of paper, but I--”

Your sentence was cut short by Law’s lips. His kiss was gentle and over too quick. Law smirked at the way your expression changed from confused to embarrassed to pleasantly surprised. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day, (Y/n)-ya.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Extra: The party on deck_

“Man, these cupcakes are great,” Penguin stuffed another miniature cupcake into his mouth, the pink frosting smearing the top of his lip. “(Y/n) got some great ingredients. Think we can do this every year?”

“As long as we help (Y/n) next time.” Shachi munched on a cookie shaped like a red rose. “Getting supplies at night in secret and hauling all that back to the ship must have been difficult. How long was this going on for? When was the last island we got supplies at?”

“Uhh...that makes me wonder…” Bepo smiled at the heart shaped meatball in his dish. He ate it and continued. “Do you think the captain will be mad if he finds out (Y/n) got sick from getting everything for the party and we didn’t stop them?”

“...”

“...”

“...”

The three Heart Pirates stuffed more food into their mouths. They were going to leave that question in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter is short ;-;


	3. Yellow Acacia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow Acacia: the value of true friendship and can indicate a secret love

The cell you had begrudgingly called home for the last couple of weeks felt welcoming at the moment. When compared to being in the company of the other prisoners, the cold and mold ridden walls felt like a better company choice. It was impossible to feel welcome in a place described as hell on earth anyways, so you had to make due with what you had. All you had was your cell and the minuscule privacy it provided. 

“Turn in for the night!” 

The guards ushered the prisoners into their cells. You took a deep breath in as you walked into your cell, thankful the day’s tortures were done. You were grateful you blend into the background. The guards left you alone to do your duties, and you got through the days bit by bit. With little attention on you, you were able to be a little sneaky. Today was a good day. You had snuck a piece of bread from the cafeteria, so you had a sinful little treat for later.

One had to be grateful for the little things in life when imprisoned in Impel Down. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Turn in for the night!’

You massage your sore shoulders. The day had been stressful, but you would get through it. You reminded yourself that Level 3 in Impel Down was not so bad. You could have been in a worse position for your crime. The judge must have been in a wonderful mood to let you be in Level 3 instead of 5. 

Your cold bed felt like a welcoming roommate as you flopped onto it. You turned your face into your pillow, a sigh escaping your mouth to be swallowed by the pillow. How many days has it been since you were able to see the sun?

_I’m so tired…_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Turn in for the night!” 

You were dragging yourself into the cell, bitter tears stinging your eyes. You weren’t going to allow yourself to cry in the presence of the jailers. You didn’t know why the guard had been in a bad mood, but he took it out on the prisoners. The screaming, the name-calling, the general horrible air in Impel Down was enough to make you wish you had the power to cause chaos in your section of the prison. Even if you didn’t get out of jail, you wanted to vent your frustrations somehow. Imagining destroying the place helped a little. 

As you snuggled closer to the wall making yourself as small as possible, you felt a breeze waft upwards. You frowned and looked down the side of the bed. You narrowed your eyes to make sure you were seeing correctly. There was a small vent creating the breeze. 

Where did it go?

You listened to the other prisoners. Everybody was making noise. The screaming in frustration and demands for better treatment was bound to drown out your own sounds. You slid off the bed onto the floor. You snuggled close to the wall until you were face to face with the vent. You stared at it, unsure if you should continue with your plan. What if a guard heard you? 

_Oh well, don’t have much to lose._

You cupped your hands around your mouth and brought your mouth close to the tiny opening. 

You screamed. 

You cursed. 

You damned the jailers and the whole World Government for their incompetence. You screamed again until your voice was hoarse. 

You felt better. 

As you took heavy breathes and leaned your head against the vent, you didn’t expect to hear anything after your outburst. At most you expected an echo to return. Instead you heard a man’s voice. 

“What the hell?”

You froze. 

And you waited. 

“He…Hello?” You answered, wondering if the question had been your own imagination. You put your ear close to the vent. You drowned out the noises around you until you could only focus on the vent. Was there somebody on the other side? Has anybody heard your pain?

“I can hear you.”

You gasped. You cupped your hands around your mouth and breathed in to say--you stopped yourself. What could you say? What did you have to say to the person who had heard your screams? They could have been minding their own business and dealing with their own issues. What was there to say?

“Um, my name is (Y/n), prisoner number I2520, in Level 3 of Impel Down. I apologize if I disrupted your evening.” The person on the other side stayed quiet so you continued. “May I ask for your name? Oh, only if you want to tell me that is…”

“Crocodile.”

“Hm?”

“My name is Crocodile.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It became routine. Everyday you would do what was ordered by the guards--manual labor, cleaning, etc. After the day’s grueling activities, you would wait until the regular bustling of the prison was loud enough to mask your conversations with the mysterious prisoner named Crocodile. 

“Sir Crocodile,” you said into the vent. “What would you like to talk about today?”

“The ocean.”

Everyday you two would choose a random subject to make conversation about. It helped distract you from your predicaments. The ocean, the sky, animals, any subject was on the table as long as you could hear each other’s voice. You asked him whatever came to your mind, and he would answer. You learned about his favorite food.

Crocodile meat and tomatoes.

“I can’t say I’ve eaten something that exquisite. Exotic foods would be served at the castle, but maids weren’t allowed such fine dishes,” you giggled. “I have snuck bites of pheasant though, so that’s as exotic as I’ve tasted.”

“Hmph, it’s a shame. I’ll have to get you to try a wide range of foods.” Crocodile replied.

You laughed. You liked how he would talk about things as if he truly would get them for you. He told you his birthday (September 5) only after you told him yours. Before, you would have thought it pointless to even remember your birthday since days would bleed into each other. Talking with Crocodile started to change your perspective. 

You found warmth in your cold, empty cell by talking to the man until you were nodding your head from tiredness. It was then when you bid the man a good night and a promise to talk the next day. 

“Sir Crocodile, what would you like to talk about today?”

“...”

“Sir?”

“I have an unusual question today, (Y/n).” You moved closer to the vent, eager to continue the conversation. “What got you in Impel Down?”

“A-Ah…”

“If it’s something you’d rather keep to yourself, I understand.”

“Hm,” you leaned your forehead to the vent. You wondered what expression he had on his face. Was he scrunching his eyebrows at your silence? Was he leaning against the vent like you did when you waited for his voice? “I committed regicide.”

“...”

“May I go into detail?”

“Yes. If it makes you feel better, continue.”

“I was a maid in the castle of my island’s king,” you sighed. “I worked there for twenty years. I watched the kingdom change, and I watched the crown prince grow. From a toddler to a brat to a young man. He was the oldest among his siblings. The king wasn’t a very gracious king and the son was following his footsteps, but I kept my mouth shut. I was just a simple maid, what could I say?”

Crocodile stayed quiet on his end and you appreciated his silence. You wondered if you could ask him a question that had been burning in your throat for a long time. Maybe with how the conversation was going, you could. 

“One day, a terrible flood destroyed my hometown. It was a disaster, but I was safe only because I was at the castle tending to the garden. I had been kept from going home because the hedges needed trimming. The prince was in the garden on call with a friend of his. ‘The rain is pretty bad,’ he said. ‘We can’t go camping, so I’ll have a garden party instead. A blessing in disguise,’ and he laughed.” 

You scoffed. “An inconvenience to him, a disaster for me and the town. Next thing I knew, I saw red. Nothing but iron hot, hateful red. When I came to, the gardening shears were lodged in his throat.”

You ran a hand down your face, another sigh escaping you. It was a bitter and scary memory, but you were happy to finally tell somebody about what you had done. At the courthouse for your trial, you had been accused of trying to overthrow the royal family and being part of some revolution. Who did you work for? What was the plan? Reveal who your allies are and how many were on the island…

No. You had simply _snapped._

“The call was still going. The guards had been called, so I knew I was going to die. I was prepared. I had done something terrible, so I was expecting an execution. However, the king insisted I be sent to Impel Down. So...here I am. Why am I in Level 3 instead of lower? I don’t know. Maybe the judge was feeling generous or maybe he realized that killing the prince was an act of anger rather than political.”

“I see.” There was a heavy silence following his statement. You waited for the right moment to try and ask your question, but Crocodile spoke before you got to ask him why he was in the hellish prison. “I’m in Impel Down for trying to overthrow a kingdom.”

“Oh! Oh wow.” You gasped, impressed by his direct and nonchalant answer. “Huh, you must be at a much lower level then huh? Level 5?”

“Level 6.”

“There’s a sixth level?!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You felt your conversations with Crocodile were becoming more and more intimate since you revealed to each other why you were in prison. He told you about his Devil Fruit, the Suna Suna no Mi, how he used to run a group called Baroque Works, and how his plan was overthrown by a ragtag group of pirates run by a straw hat wearing boy. 

You were honest with him as well. You told him about life on your island before the incident. You had worked in the castle for so long, but you were never compensated for the extra time you were made to work. You were a maid, a gardener, a babysitter, a chef, and other things that weren’t in your job description. You laughed when Crocodile said he’d serve you the king’s head on a platter if you asked for it. 

One night, you returned to your cell in a good mood. You overheard two guards talking about the date. It was February 14th. It was Valentine’s Day. 

Any other time, you would not be so keen on the date. You were in The Great Prison, Hell on Earth. You were in Impel Down where hope went to die. You had a tiny amount of hope left in you however. You were either brave or stupid for keeping it. 

“Sir Crocodile,” you said into the vent. You bit your lip, feeling shy like you were a little girl again when feelings were so intense you would shake. “I would like to ask for a favor.”

“Hmm?” The man sounded amused. “I’ll do what I can. What is this favor that I can do while I’m chained?”

“I have, um, I have a poem that I’d like to say to you.” Your heart was beating against your ribcage. You urged it to stay quiet. It was now or never. You were going to use the little bit of hope you had to fuel your determination. “Will you listen?”

“It would be my pleasure, (Y/n).”

“Thank you.” You took a breath to steel your nerves and remember the words that had been dancing in your head for days. The words that you hope conveyed what you felt for the man whose face you didn’t know. 

_For a long time_   
_A void was in my heart_   
_I tried and tried_   
_To heal this hole_   
_But where do I start?_

_Certainly in Hell_   
_Its smothering touch_   
_Of seeing not seeing the end_   
_Lost freedom_   
_Upon my soul_   
_Means no more_

_But then_   
_When I met you_   
_My friend_   
_Something bloomed_   
_So here we are_

_Our past set in stone_   
_Our future unknown_   
_And still_   
_I’d trade a thousand years of hell_   
_For just a moment with you_

Your face was ablaze, your palms were sweating, and your stomach was shuddering. How nerve wrecking it was to be honest with one’s feelings. You may not remember the exact moment you had started to fall for the sand controlling man, but you knew what your heart longed for. 

“Ha...Happy Valentine’s Day, Sir Crocodile.”

“(Y/n).” The authority and pose in his voice made you stiffen. You didn’t know how he kept such power to his voice, his presence while he was in prison. “I would like to apologize.” You bit your lip. “My gift to you for Valentine’s Day is going to be late.”

“W-What?”

“When I see you in person, I’ll give you my gift.” Crocodile chuckled. “Do you want to know what it is?”

“Um, yes please?” It confused you that he said when instead of if. He said it like he knew he would keep to his promise. You weren’t the only one who kept their hope in Impel Down it seemed.

“When I see you, I’m going to kiss you.”

“H-Hah?!” 

“Prepare yourself, (Y/n).”

“You’re rather straightforward Sir Crocodile,” you said as you covered your face. You hoped it would somehow keep your blushing cheeks in check.

“It’s funny hearing that from you, (Y/n), Kuha-ha-ha-ha!” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Impel Down was in turmoil.

Hell had broken loose in hell. The guards were doing everything they could to assemble the prisoners they could control. You were shoved into your cell, and the guard locked the door so fast he almost dropped his keys. Everybody was running and panicking. You heard bits and pieces of what was happening. First it had been that a powerful pirate from Whitebeard’s crew was imprisoned, and now it was somebody was going through the different levels causing chaos. 

You sat on your bed, knees to your chest. You groaned, a heavy stone in your stomach. Was Crocodile safe? He was strong, you knew this, but still you worried. Who wouldn’t worry a little when their loved one was potentially in danger?

“Is this Section I?!”

You heard a young man ask before a faint ‘Gomu gomu nooo’ rang through the air. There were sounds of punches, kicks, and screams of agony in the air. You shrank yourself into the corner of the cell. You wanted to crawl under the bed and call out to Crocodile, but you had not gotten a response from him yesterday. You feared the worst.

“Is this the right place? Section I?” the young man from before asked somebody.

“Hmm? Why so desperate to come here?” Another voice asked, a gruffness to their tone. Not rude, but an older voice.

Whoever they were asking didn’t answer. You heard their footsteps run closer to your section. Other prisoners begged for him to stop and let them out, but the stranger ignored them. You then heard an impossible sound and smelled a familiar scent.

Sand.

Sand wrapped around the bars of your cell door. They ate away at the metal until the area was clear. The sand cascaded down and made a pathway into your cell. You slid off the bed in a trance, feeling the soft earth on your feet. You looked up to see an exceptionally tall man. He had a wide chest, broad shoulders, muscular arms and legs. His nape-length black hair was neatly slicked back, showing off the long stitched scar at the bridge of his nose.

“Cro...Crocodile.”

The whispered words tumbled from your lips as you looked up at the man. The man smirked and strode up to you. He used his large, golden hook to pull you towards him. Before you could think of saying anything else to him, he crashed his lips against yours. It was passionate, impatient, and smokey. It was better than anything you could have imagined.

“It’s a late gift, but I finally got to deliver it to you.” Crocodile smiled as he rubbed his right thumb on your flushed cheek. “Happy Valentine’s Day (Y/n), I’m going to get us our freedom, I promise you.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Extra: Weeks before the Impel Down Incident_

“What the hell are you doing man?” A prisoner asked their cellmate. He watched the blond man get on the floor and press his ear against the wall. 

“Shhh! Shh, shuddup!” The man on the floor waved his hand urging the questioning black haired man to keep quiet. “I’m listening to drama!”

“You’re what?”

The blond stood up to grab his cellmate by the collar and pulled him down to the floor with him. Before the black haired man could yell at his friend, the blond slapped his hand over his mouth. The blond put his finger up to his mouth in the motion that meant ‘Keep Quiet.’

“I can’t say I’ve eaten something that exquisite. Exotic foods would be served at the castle, but maids weren’t allowed such fine dishes,” you giggled. “I have snuck bites of pheasant though, so that’s as exotic as I’ve tasted.”

“Hmph, it’s a shame. I’ll have to get you to try a wide range of foods.” Crocodile replied.

The men leaned close to the source of the voices. While you and Crocodile talked, the two of them kept making faces and awwing at the interactions they were eavesdropping on. The blond pulled the other man away to whisper to him. 

“It’s a soap opera, man, and I’ve been listening to those two get closer. I think she’ll be the first one to confess.”

“No way man, the guy’s gonna confess. He wants to give her the world.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this idea from a documentary I watched. Check out Jailbirds (Toilet Talk) on youtube. I went with a vent instead lol. My friend gave me the idea about other ppl being able to listen to the talk because that does happen with convos that go through pipes. Apologies about that poem btw, I’m not a poet ^^’


	4. Hydrangea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hydrangea: Gratitude for being understood

“Oi, Ero-cook. Where’s the sake?” 

Zoro opened a cabinet only to be disappointed in the lack of booze inside. The swordsman continued opening and closing cabinet doors while the blond chef worked on decorating fresh cookies. Sanji’s frustration grew with the repeated sounds of wood hitting wood. After a few seconds, the chef stopped his previous task to glare at the man. 

“There’s no booze for you here, marimo-head! Now leave, I’m working on something important.” The chef hummed and continued his decoration. “It’s Valentine’s Day, so these cookies need to look extra special for Nami-chan and Robin-swan~”

“Oh, that’s today?”

“How can you be so callous?” Sanji scoffed. “I would’ve thought you’d want to do something romantic since you have a partner now...as hard to believe as that is.”

“Tch. (Y/n) and I do things our own way. It’s be weird if I tried making cookies or something.” Zoro closed the final cabinet door and made his way to the kitchen door. “Whatever. I’ll be in the training room. Call me if something important happens.”

“Yeah, yeah. Go do your thing.”

Zoro climbed up the ladder to get into the training room. He didn’t want to admit he was feeling a little apprehensive after Sanji’s words. It was Valentine’s Day. It was a romantic holiday, so should he be planning something sweet or doing something grandeur? What was his plan to greet you when you returned from the town? Would you be expecting a rose bouquet?

“Tch. Damn chef got into my head.”

Zoro had stated how you and him had your own way to express your feelings. He had felt confident when it came to dating at yours and his unique pace. Had he been too cocky to think he was right?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Thank you for coming with me, (Y/n).” Chopped skipped beside you while in his adorable bi-pedal form. “I got to restock on medical supplies, and I found a new medical book. Plus, there’s a bunch of candy stands selling lots of stuff. What a lucky day!”

“Your sweet-tooth had a field day, huh?” You chuckled as you looked around to see the vendors Chopper was talking about. There was the scent of chocolate, baked goods, and other sweets coating the air as you and Chopper made your way out of the town. “Valentine’s Day is a pretty big deal here.”

“It’s a love day or something?”

“Uh-huh. It’s a holiday to celebrate love and friendship. I bet Sanji is going to make something extra special today. Especially for Nami and Robin.”

“I wonder what it’ll be…” The reindeer bit into a heart shaped cookie a vendor had given him for free. “It’s a day for love...are you and Zoro going to do something?”

“Hm, not sure, maybe?” You looked away from the doctor, a blush gracing your cheeks. “Zoro isn’t into romance the same way Sanji is. He’s not going to want something like a candle lit dinner and wine. He does things at his own pace.”

“That’s true, that’s true. I can’t imagine Zoro doing that.”

“Exactly. He prefers sake.”

“Zoro isn’t someone who sticks to what’s traditional. Asking you to be his partner in the middle of a battle isn’t something people would usually do.”

“A-Ah, haha, yeah you’re right about that.” You couldn’t fault Zoro for his unique approach to dating. You had agreed to his proposal in the middle of the fight after all. Before you could continue with your train of thought, you stopped in your tracks when something in a display window caught your eye. “Chopper?”

“Hm?” The doctor looked back to see you walk backwards until you were face-to-face with the store with the display window. 

“Could you wait for a few seconds? I need to buy something.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zoro was asleep in the crow’s nest/training room. He had been exercising, but he stopped after a short while. He was feeling uneasy and that was throwing off his concentration. It wasn’t like Sanji had said he was a bad partner to you or anything. It was just...he was overthinking things now. What should he do for Valentine’s Day?

The swordsman was lucky. You entered the training room and broke his spiraling train of thought. 

“Yooo~ I thought you’d be training.” You held up a decorative, skinny shopping bag with a grin on your face. “I guess it’s good you’re not. I got you something.”

“Heh, welcome back, (Y/n).”

Zoro sat up as you approached him with the unknown item. You plopped down beside your partner to sit cross legged. You told him about being in town with Chopper and what you saw while away from the ship. You pulled out your gift after a few seconds. It was a bottle of sake. 

“Sanji won’t go grocery shopping until tomorrow, but I remembered there was no sake on the ship.” You held up the bottle to a stunned Zoro. “So I wanted to get this for you. Oh, also, Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Zoro snapped himself away from the surprise in order to grab the offered gift. He examined the bottle and noticed how you were watching him. He smirked and popped the bottle open. He took a swing of the drink straight from the nozzle. It was a nice, smooth taste starting from his lips down into his stomach. He glanced at you when he finished to gather some courage. He needed to know something so he could ease his anxious heart. 

“(Y/n), I have a question.”

“Hm?”

“You got me something...does it bother you that I don’t have something, like roses, for you?”

“Because it’s Valentine’s Day?”

“Hm.”

“Hmm?” You tapped your chin in thought, and Zoro was taking another sip of his sake. He needed something to do to distract himself. “Well, not really. You aren’t the roses and wine kind of person. That’s not a bad thing. You’re a sparring and sake kind of guy. I guess what I’m trying to say is this: you have your own way of showing your love and affection and I love that about you.”

You smiled and when you realized how you admitted what you loved about him, you blushed. You looked away from the swordsman and muttered under your breath about thinking things through. Zoro found himself remembering why he had fallen for you in the first place. 

“Thank you, (Y/n),” Zoro swirled the liquid inside the bottle and asked. “Do you want some? You chose a tasty sake. It might become a favorite of mine now.”

“Huh? Uh, yeah, sure?” You were confused since there weren’t any sake cups for him to pour you some. Another thing that confused you was the fact that Zoro had the bottle to his lips again. “Hey now, are you going to share so--!”

Zoro crashed his lips against yours.

The swordsman had gathered some sake into his mouth before he kissed you. He had grabbed the back of your head to lean you towards him so he could press his lips against yours. In your surprise, you made it easier for Zoro to pass the liquid from his mouth to yours. Your first kiss with Zoro smells fruity, flowery and tastes smooth, deep.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Zoro said with a satisfied smirk. He stayed nose to nose with you as you grumbled under your breath. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Extra: On deck_

“Nami-swan~ Robin-chwan~ I have some snacks for you~”

The blond chef side-stepped Luffy and Usopp, who were eyeing the tray of cookies he was carrying for the women. Nami and Robin were sitting on the reclining sling chairs on the deck, and they thanked the chef for his hard work.

“Oi, oi Sanji! Don’t we get snacks for Valentine’s Day?” Usopp puffed his cheeks. “We should get food too.”

“That’s right!” Luffy pouted. 

“You can have the leftovers in the kitchen. Leave some for the two up there.” Sanji pointed up with his thumb towards the crow’s nest. “Those two will join us after they’re done celebrating their own way.”


	5. Lavender Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lavender rose: Love at first sight

Donquixote Doflamingo was bored, but he hid his feelings behind his ever present smile. He sat on his elevated chair that reminded anybody before him of his authority. He was the king of Dressrosa, and anybody who wanted to ask for his favor needed to remember that. Why was the Shichibukai so bored? It was because a neighboring island wanted to open trade with his island. Today he was to hear the appeal of the island’s representatives. The pitfalls of having to run a place. 

“The representatives of Bostrya Island are here, Doflamingo-sama.”

Rebol stepped aside to show a group of five people lined up behind him. The mucus man chuckled as he moved to be closer to the ruler of the island. The first person gulped as he approached the king and introduced himself. Doflamingo kept smiling and pretended he wasn’t imagining drowning them. Their names and occupations meant nothing to him.

One person stood out in the lineup. 

One person who wasn’t quivering in their boots before his presence. 

“It’s an honor to meet you, your majesty,” you bowed just as everybody else, but your posture was poised and graceful. “My name is (L/n) (Y/n), the representative for Bostrya’s Agriculture Department.” 

Doflamingo smirked. Maybe having the representatives over wasn’t so bad.

At the negotiation table, everybody had a chance to make their case for why Dressrosa and Bostrya should open trade. Doflamingo was barely listening to what the three men and young woman were saying. Something about tourism and textiles and other things that were bound to put the king to sleep. His attention was piqued only when it was your turn to speak. Your passion and confidence in the prosperity that could come from Dressrosa and Bostrya’s combined agriculture made him smile. 

How much would you blush if he reached over to press his thumb against those talkative lips?

The Bostrya group were going to stay in a hotel in Dressrosa until negotiations were over. They hoped to be able to get the king to agree to their terms. When Doflamingo finally made his decision, they would return to their island. Doflamingo dashed the prospect of them staying anywhere other than the castle. What kind of host would he be if his guests had to pay for room and board while on the island?

“I insist, you’ll all be given your own rooms. You’ll stay in the castle, and I won’t take ‘No’ for an answer. Have I made myself clear?”

“Y-Yes, of course!”

“Thank you, Doflamingo-sama!”

“T-Thank you so much!”

“We’re in your debt.” The group bowed. 

“Thank you for your hospitality, Doflamingo-sama,” you bowed. “We’re truly grateful.”

“Think nothing of it, (Y/n), it would be my pleasure~” 

Doflamingo felt a shiver run up his spine when his name left your lips, and he liked how your name tasted on his lips. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You had been asked by your king to not interfere with the ruler of Dressrosa’s schedule, but you were pushed to try and convince the king to look Bostrya’s way. One week was your expected time. Your group of five were sitting in the library of the castle as you planned how to talk to the king. 

“I don’t want to go first!” the representative of textiles exclaimed while he crossed his arms. “I get the feeling he wants to drown me.”

“I understand that he may be intimidating, but stand firm with your confidence in Bostrya’s textiles.” You tried to assure Thomas. “I’m sure he’ll understand why trade with us would be good. You brought clothes to show their quality, right?”

“I don’t get how you’re not unnerved, (L/n)-san,” Bernadette shivered and hugged herself. “When I was talking about our architecture, it was like he was looking past me. Like I was air.”

“I know,” said Jason. “When talking about our tourism, I thought maybe I should shut up or he’d kill me for having bored him.”

“What about you, (L/n)-san?” asked Beckham, who was an expert on the fishing culture of your island. “How did you feel during your presentation?”

“Well,” you scratched your cheek and looked away. “It was like he was listening intensely. Maybe he wants to focus on agricultural growth for his kingdom? I mean, Dressrosa is known for its flower fields.”

“And it’s high crime rate.”

“As well as its cuisine. Try going into detail about how our fish would be a great addition for the island’s recipes.”

“You’re pretty optimistic about getting the king to open trade with us,” Thomas brought up. “Why don’t you talk to him first?” 

“H-Hey now,” Beckham waved the notion away. “It’s a bit too soon to put that burden on (Y/n)-san.”

“Oh, you’re on a first name basis now?”

“I-I mean, Doflamingo-sama said (L/n)-san’s first name...”

“I don’t mind, I’ll do it. Who will talk to him the following days?” The group looked among themselves and started to sweat. “W-Why not draw straws? I’ll then tell Trebol-san our plan.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Doflamingo’s smile was as wide as usual, but there was an honest excitement when he was told how you would be the first one to talk to him. The others would have his company in the following days to talk about their respective fields. The king laughed and stated how he looked forward to tomorrow. 

When the day arrived, Doflamingo had a surprise for you. A spectacular dinner was set up for the two of you. You were to sit beside him while he sat at the head of the table. You kept your nerves in check while the staff brought dish after dish to your table. 

“You see, (Y/n),” Doflamingo began as he took a sip of his wine. “I usually have dinner with my family, but everybody has their own work to take care of today. I hope you’ll do me the favor of keeping me company today. Don’t worry, we’ll still talk business.”

“Thank you, you’re very gracious Doflamingo-sama.” You didn’t notice the way Doflamingo leaned forward at his name. “I see that many of the dishes are plant based.”

“Very perceptive, (Y/n). I wanted to show you Dressrosa’s bountiful crops. May it be to your taste~”

Dinner was spectacular. Every dish made your mouth water. You didn’t get much time to talk about your island or your job because Doflamingo asked you questions he wanted answers to. He navigated the conversation to change from Bostrya to you. He wanted to know what you liked.

“You speak highly of your island’s fertile lands, what draws you to it?”

“I’ve always admired the gardens that provided fresh vegetables and fruits, so that led to my interest in agriculture.”

What you thought about his kingdom.

“Bostrya’s royal family is taking strides to improve the citizen’s lives.”

“Wonderful, wonderful. A king should want what’s best for its people, people like you. How has Dressrosa been for you? I hope our humble little island makes you feel welcome.”

“It’s been a great pleasure, Doflamingo-sama. I feel at home since I’ve arrived.”

“Good~”

And what you hope to do in the future. 

“Ideally I want to learn about different flora and--” You blinked and realized it was late. Dinnertime was over. “Please forgive me, your majesty,” You blushed and wiped your mouth after you were done eating. “I’ve been talking about myself instead of Bostrya’s agriculture. That’s rude of me.”

“Not at all~ We just got a little lost in our conversation, no need to feel guilty.” The tall king leaned closer with a smile. You felt a little self-conscious when you were aware of how close you two were and how Doflamingo’s voice rumbled when he spoke to you. “Why don’t we go for a walk around the castle, and you can keep talking to me then?”

“I-I, um,” you felt yourself blush. “Thank you, Doflamingo-sama. I apologize for taking up your time longer than expected.”

“No need to apologize, your company is something I want.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, it was Thomas’s turn to talk with the king. During that time, you went around the castle admiring the architecture. You thought Bernadette would like to walk with you to admire the beauty, but she insisted that she’d stay in her room. Something about needing to mentally prepare herself for when it was her turn to talk to Doflamingo.

“Oh, how beautiful...”

Looking out the window, you saw a garden with a variety of flowers. You pressed your hands against the glass as if it would somehow get your closer. You sighed at the beauty that was close but far at the same time. You didn’t dare go to it because it wasn’t a place Doflamingo had taken you to. 

“Ah, (Y/n), admiring the garden?”

You turned around to see the king in his usual light pink feather coat. You bowed and then nodded to his question. You looked back at the garden outside. 

“Doflamingo-sama, may I have your permission to see the garden up close tomorrow at noon? I understand if it’s off limits.”

“Nonsense, (Y/n)~ You’re free to go to the garden.”

“Thank you.”

On your way back to your room, you came across Beckham. He was muttering to himself, rehearsing how to talk to the king tomorrow. When he caught sight of you, he walked up to you with purpose. It took him a few moments to collect his thoughts, so you waited for him to speak. 

“(L/n)-san, are you busy tomorrow?”

“Depends on the time. I’m going to the garden tomorrow at noon.”

“I-I see. Could you wait until two instead? After I’m done talking with Doflamingo-sama?”

“Sure, you’re welcome to see the garden with me.” You sidestepped him to continue walking to your room. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the garden. Have a goodnight.”

“Ah, yeah! Night…” Once you were out of sight, Beckham sighed but then pumped his fist in victory. “Yes! Valentine’s Day with (Y/n)-san tomorrow. I did it.”

“Did you now?” A looming voice said above him. The blood drained from Beckham’s face as he turned around to see a smiling Doflamingo. His smile was tight, so tight that a vein was showing on his forehead. “Say, I have a meeting with you tomorrow, right~?” The terrified man nodded. “Good. I’d like you to meet a friend of mine first, okay~?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Doflamingo watched you walk towards the garden with a sake cup in your hands. He saw you set the dish down beside a flower before you moved away. His curiosity was piqued as he made his way to the flower garden. 

“Good afternoon, Doflamingo-sama.”

You stood up from the bench outside to bow at him. He looked over at the sake cup to see a honey bee sipping at the liquid inside. He crooked his head and then smiled when he noticed how other bees were making their way to the cup.

“A-Ah, I saw a tired honeybee, so I went to the kitchen to make some sugar-water for her. I hope that’s okay. They work very hard, so I thought it was the least I could do.”

“You’re very kind and generous, (Y/n). What wonderful traits you have. I like that~”

_Run or you will be eaten._

“Your praise is too kind, your majesty.” You smiled and ignored the quiver in your stomach. What had that thought been? “The garden is beautiful. I could stare at it all day.”

“Such modesty. You remind me of the flowers in this garden. They’re wonderful, beautiful. Do they know what they’re doing or do they simply exist to be breathtaking?” Doflamingo asked as he caressed a red rose. 

_Run or you will be eaten._

“I-I don’t know. Well, I mean, um.” You began to fidget with your hands. You weren’t sure you had heard him right. Was he saying you were beautiful like the flowers?

“Such beauty needs to be protected, you know?” He picked the red rose from the garden, making sure the stem was a good length. “Weeds love to get near things they shouldn’t. That’s why I’m so protective of my precious garden.”

_Run or you will be eaten._

“I understand. Gardens are hard to up-keep…”

“Weren’t you going to visit the garden at noon today?” Doflamingo proceeded to remove the thorns from the rose. “It’s two in the afternoon.”

“Oh, well I...I…?” You scrunch your eyebrows. Why were you there at two instead of noon? Who were you going to see? “Ah, I’m meeting...somebody? Did you have a meeting today?”

“No, not today.” The tall man walked up to you. “I was given today off from talks about trading.”

“A-Ah, okay...yes, that makes sense.” No, it did not.

“There, perfect.” Doflamingo had placed the rose behind your ear while you were distracted. You blinked confused and reached up to brush your fingers against the rose. You looked up at the king who was leaning down to be closer to your face. Next thing you knew, he was caressing your face. “Absolutely breathtaking.”

He kissed you.

His kiss was deep, possessive, and breathtaking. You stiffened and then had to grab the front of his shirt to stabilize yourself. You felt that your knees were going to give out at any moment. You were on the tips of your toes as Doflamingo led the kiss. Once he pulled away, you were panting to catch your breath. The king smiled as he looked at your flushed face. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day, (Y/n)~”

_You’ve been caught._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Extra: In the Toys House_

There was a new toy at the building located at the base of the King's Plateau. The new toy looked on in horror at his new home. Every night, he would have to work at the Underground Trade Port. All of this from a simple handshake from a little girl eating grapes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel that this one doesn't follow my guideline of established couple, but then I remember its Doflamingo ( ⚆ _ ⚆ ); If he says you're a couple, you are. Agreeing with him or not is irrelevant to him. The man's a yandere. It was (obsessive) love at first sight


	6. Fern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fern: Sincerity, humility; also, magic and bonds of love

Usopp sighed and he tugged at Luffy's shirt to pull him along. His captain was distracted by a salesman's enticing words, so it was up to the sniper to get Luffy back to the ship. Usopp didn't understand why Luffy was frozen in place listening to the man. He wasn't trying to sell food or anything of the sort. Why was Luffy listening?

"Truly on this day of Love, who wouldn't want to show their loved one how much they care?" The salesman moved aside to show a giant stuffed Doskoi Panda holding a bouquet of felt roses. "Everybody knows you give your lover roses and chocolates for Valentine's Day, but why not add that extra 'I love you darling' with a limited edition Doskoi Panda 'L'étreinte de joie et d'amour'?"

"Luffy, let's go," Usopp was able to maneuver Luffy away from the crowd who were entranced by the toy's cuteness. They needed to leave the town and make it back to the ship. "That could be the knockoff brand Dosko1 Panda anyways."

"It's true what he's saying, right?"

"Hm?"

"That on Valentine's you give roses and chocolates to your partner?"

"E-Eh? I guess so?" Usopp stopped walking for a moment in surprise while Luffy walked ahead. He shook his head and caught up with the captain. Sometimes Usopp had to remind himself that Luffy and (Y/n) were (officially) a couple. "Right, this is your first Valentine's Day with (Y/n) as a couple, huh? I didn't know you'd pay attention to this kind of stuff."

"Hmmm, I don't really know what I'm supposed to do all the time. Sanji's said I wouldn't know romance if it came and bit me on the ass."

"Yeah, Sanji would say that."

"But I want to try," Luffy smiled. "I want to make (Y/n) happy. Yosh! I won't let anything distract me today, I'm going to do Valentine's Day right!"

"That's the spirit, Captain!" Usopp wiped his eyes, clearing the tears of pride there. "I knew you were a man's man!"

"Ooooi~!"

Both men looked around for the source of the voice. They saw you drawing closer with your arm in the air waving at them. You had a large travel backpack strapped on that looked full to the brim. Before you could say more, Luffy had run up to you to give you his greeting hug. Or rather, a less extreme version that didn't have you fall on the floor because of his whole body. You hugged him back with a blush on your cheeks.

"Hey Luffy. I was looking for you. Wanna go with me on a hiking trail?"

"You bet!"

"Oi oi," Usopp muttered under his breath. "What was that about not being distracted?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luffy was a pirate because being a pirate meant doing things your own way. Freedom was the name of the game, and Luffy was playing. So when the hiking trail had a set path for him to walk, Luffy wanted to ignore it. Why couldn't he just walk on the grass? The line set ahead for the both of you seemed boring.

"Luffy, I need you to listen to me, please." You pointed at the boardwalk ahead of you. "We're going on this path, so I need you to trust me when I say I want you to follow my lead, okay??"

"Ehhh? Why can't we walk over the grass?"

"Because I don't want us disrupting the natural landscape. Following the boardwalk means we don't mess with the wildlife."

Luffy was reluctant, but when he saw you look towards the boardwalk with excitement in your eyes he set aside his wants. You wanted to go somewhere and were talking him along. If it made you happy, Luffy would walk on the wooded path. He wondered why you were taking such a large backpack along though.

_Everybody knows you give your lover roses and chocolates for Valentine's Day..._

The salesman's words rang in Luffy's head while you two walked. You were absorbed in looking at the vast landscape, so you didn't see Luffy's strained face. He was thinking about what he could do for a gift. With the two of you on a nature hike, he couldn't get you chocolate or roses from a store. What was the future Pirate King supposed to do?

"Hm?" Luffy squinted his eyes and stared into the flat field. There was a singular tree standing with fruit hanging on its branches. "Ah-ha..."

If Luffy couldn't get chocolate, he could get you fruit! Luffy took a step off the boardwalk. He realized what he'd done and stepped back. He had promised not to walk off the path, but then how was he going to give you a Valentine's Day gift? The captain hummed and glanced over at you. You were walking head, distracted by a flock of pink birds flying overhead.

"Oh, how cute~"

"Yosh..." Luffy cracked his knuckles and loosened his right arm. While you weren't looking, Luffy stretched his arm out as far as he could towards the tree. He almost didn't reach it. Luckily for him, there was one fruit that was just far enough from the tree that he could grab it.

"Luffy?" You looked behind you to see your partner's arm stretch back with a fruit in hand. When you saw the round, green fruit Luffy had grabbed, you ran to his side while taking off your backpack in a frantic manner. You started digging through your bag the closer you got to your captain. "Luffy!"

"(Y/n)! Look, I got you--ara?" You had grabbed the apple-looking fruit and threw it as far as you could. "Ehh?? (Y/n), why did you--?"

His hand was starting to tiggle.

"Luffy, are you okay?! You didn't bite into it, right?" You had grabbed Luffy's hand and were wiping it down with a damp, cloth napkin. "No, I didn't see a bite mark on it. Hold on, let me get under the nails too just in case."

"My hand feels weird?"

"Of course it would! You made contact with a poisonous fruit! Everything about that tree is poisonous." You sighed and stopped wiping when you felt that Luffy's hand was clean enough. You reached over to grab his left hand so you could hold both hands in place. "Luffy, please please _please_ , don't grab anything off in the distance like that again. I don't want you accidentally hurting yourself."

"H-Hai..."

First plan: Substitute chocolate with mystery fruit  
Outcome: A slightly numb hand and a worried (Y/n)

Luffy was back to a mental drawing board. He couldn't walk off the path and reaching for things in the distance was a bad idea. What could he do? Lucky for him, the trail helped calm your nerves while he tried to think of another plan. Luffy showing you his hand helped ease your concerns from before as well. His palm was no longer red and stinging.

"Look, Luffy. Beautiful, isn't it?"

Further down the path, you and Luffy were among a lush flower field. The rainbow of flowers had the two of you sigh in content. It was a gorgeous sight, and it smelled incredible. The two of you sniffed the air the way puppies would when they caught a whiff of something interesting. When the two of you noticed what the other was doing, you started to laugh.

"Come on, let's keep going." You adjusted your backpack. "I have a place to be before the sun sets."

"Hai~" Luffy followed your lead and glanced at the flowers. Technically the flowers weren't that far off the path. He couldn't get you roses, but maybe a flower from the field would be good. Which flower to pick?

"This one," Luffy reached down to pick at a pink flower.

Why had he chosen that flower? Because it moved. Why did it move? Because it was attached to an animal. Luffy was holding a creature by the side of its head. He looked at it in shock, and it looked at him in anger. The flower was attached to it??

"EH?"

"Pip! Pii! PI!!"

Luffy was holding an angry little creature that felt like grass at the top and furry at the bottom. You turned around to see a confused pirate and a furious...something. It reminded you of a hedgehog.

"Luffy... _why?_ "

"I didn't know!"

"Pii! Pip! Pi pip!"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," you had already reached into your bag to pull out an apple. You bit into it to pull off a chunk. You took the piece from your mouth and held it to the animal. "We're sorry for disturbing you. How about this as an apology?"

The small animal's tantrum was subdued the second it ate the apple piece. Once it was calm, you took him from Luffy's hands. You placed the creature back on the ground and gave it the rest of the apple. The two of you watched the animal waddle its way through the flowers with the apple in its mouth. After it was out of sight completely, you reached over to place your hands on Luffy's cheeks so he was forced to look at you.

"Luffy. Please _do not touch anything_ for the rest of this trip."

"H-Hai..." Luffy glanced down. Your lips looked really soft.

Second plan: Substitute roses with mystery flower  
Outcome: Angry hedgehog thing and banned from touching anything

Luffy's spirits were a little dampered. He couldn't get you chocolates while on the field, and he didn't get to buy you roses. The captain had to admit to himself, he was rather bad at the 'romance' thing that salesman had talked about. Why were things so difficult for him?

"We're here. Perfect! It'll be a good while before sunset."

"Hm?"

You had chosen a clear spot overlooking the edge of the island. The coastline was close to the crashing waves of the ocean, but it was far enough that neither of you would be hit with the water. The wave's colors shifted between dark blue and cyan, and the seafoam brought some white to complement the blues. As the sunshine peeked through the cotton white clouds, Luffy was struck by the calming view.

"Wooaah~ (Y/n)! This is so nice! Wow, it's a pretty view--huh?"

While Luffy was overlooking the coast, you had begun to unpack everything from your bag. There was a large picnic blanket with various foods on display. You were just finished setting up the tea when you looked up and smiled at Luffy. You were happy he thought the view was wonderful.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Luffy." You stood up and walked over to stand by your partner. You looked at the beautiful view with a smile. "Once the sun sets, the sea changes colors. It'll have orange hues, and it'll be just as breathtaking. I can't wait for you to see it."

"(Y/n)..." At Luffy's strained voice, you looked at him confused. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry I didn't get you a Valentine's chocolate, or roses, or a Doskoi Panda plush--!"

"What?? Also Doskoi Panda is expensive--"

"I don't know romance. I wouldn't know it even if it came and bit me on the ass!"

"I have a feeling Sanji told you that."

"And---!"

"Luffy! Luffy, breathe..." You grabbed his hand to pull him towards the picnic you had ready. "Let's sit down and eat the dinner Sanji made for us. Tell me what's on your mind, okay?"

"I don't know how to do romantic things..." Luffy sat down with flop. He absentmindedly reached for a fruit and bit into it. It was luckily a peach instead of an orange or a banana. "I tried getting you a fruit and a flower, but that didn't work. And now, you have all of this set up, and I'm so happy! But I don't have anything to give..."

"Luffy, you don't have to get me roses or chocolates." You moved your present of chocolate covered strawberries aside. You would give those to him later. "I'm touched to know the reason why you tried to get that fruit and flower though."

"But how am I going to show you I love you?"

"I mean, you already do." You blushed and ran a hand down your face. At Luffy's confused expression, you knew you needed to elaborate. "Luffy, you easily say how you like me and--"

"Yeah, I love you."

"T-That's the thing," you wanted to fan your face. "You tell me your feelings, you show me your affection...your straightforwardness is something I admire. I...I get shy, and...I don't always know what I'm doing, but I know I want to try. I like getting you things. I like doing things for you. I want to see you smile. A-Ah, talking about this is embarrassing...I don't know if I can put it into words how I feel."

"(Y/n)..."

"I love you. I feel like I can say it over and over but it still won't express...my heart?" You covered your face. "Ahhh, words are hard..." Luffy moved your hands down. You were face-to-face with the smiling pirate. He let go of your hands so he could wrap his arms around you. His hug had you both lying on the blanket on your sides. You were nose to nose with each other.

"I love you~ shishishi~" Luffy looked straight into your eyes, and that made your face feel even warmer. "Ah, I know what I want to do. I want to kiss you."

"Please do?" You then felt Luffy's lips eagerly pressed against your own. Luffy's suspicion from before was right. Your lips are soft.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Extra: Sunset_

"I can get it right this time, really!" Luffy closed his eyes. He was sitting crossed legged across from you and leaning forward. "Okay...I'm ready--no wait...Okay, I'm ready."

You smirked and rolled your eyes. Luffy was going to miss the sunset if he kept his eyes closed. You scooted closer to the pirate and leaned forward. You kissed him, and you had to keep yourself from smirking during it. He did it again. You leaned back to see Luffy's wide grin.

"You smiled again," You were stifling a laugh when Luffy opened his eyes. "You smiled during the kiss."

"Ahhh, damn! I was sure I'd get it this time." Luffy laughed. "I can't help it. I'm so happy I can't stop smiling~"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray! I got these one-shots done in time for Valentine's Day. Thank you for reading! I did these to help with writer's block, but I am happy I got to explore different ideas (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑ Btw, if the creature sounds familiar, it's because it's based off a Pokemon ♥


End file.
